“Jesus, Take the Wheel” was a career-changing song for Carrie Underwood, helping to launch one of the biggest superstar careers in contemporary country music.
Who Nearly Cut “Jesus, Take the Wheel” Before Carrie Underwood?
But the song could have enjoyed a very different trajectory, as Lady A singer Hillary Scott nearly cut it first.
Scott tells Taste of Country that she had a development deal with a label in Nashville during her pre-Lady A days.
The late Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson wrote “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and it ended up being pitched to Scott during the period when she was listening to songs to potentially record.
“It was one of my favorites, and then that was all right in the time she was on American Idol,” Scott recalls. “She was a country artist on American Idol, which was amazing, and that song really spoke to her.”
How Did Carrie Underwood End Up Recording “Jesus, Take the Wheel”?
Scott did not end up releasing any material from her development deal, and Underwood went on to win American Idol.
She released “Inside Your Heaven” as her debut single in 2005, and released “Jesus, Take the Wheel” as the first single from her debut album Some Hearts later that year.
What Was Carrie Underwood’s First No. 1 Hit?
“Jesus, Take the Wheel” gave Underwood her first No.1 hit on Jan. 21, 2006, and achieved gold certification on Jan. 25, 2006.
The song also went on to win an ACM Award for Single of the Year, as well as Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
READ MORE: Country Stars Who Are Open About Their Faith
“She goes on to take it and it’s a huge hit and the message of the song is so beautiful,” Scott notes. “It’s neat to have watched the journey — the journey of that song — because they all have their own.”
Scott went on to form Lady A with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood in 2006, and they released their self-titled debut album in 2008.
The trio have also gone on to an A-level country career.
20 Hit Songs That Another Country Artist Passed On
Some of country’s biggest hits almost sounded a lot different, all because some artists passed on tracks that wound up being big singles for others.
Here are 20 songs another artist passed on first. In most cases they regret it.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
11 Country Covers That Became Even Bigger Hits
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
